Wall construction



April 10, 1956 N. l.. ETTEN 2,741,342

WALL coNsTRUcToN Filed Feb. 7, 195o 2 sheets-sheet 1 April 10, 1956 N. ETTEN WALL CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. '7, 1950 f77 VE/J7 Z2: f Maf/20ML @im ilnited States Patent@ WALL CNSTRUCTIN Nicholas L Etten, Waterloo, Iowa, assigner to Alton Corporation, Waterloo, iowa, a corporation of Iowa Application February 7, 1959, Serial No. 142,757

4 Claims. (Cl. 189-34) This invention relates to improvements in a wall construction. More particularly it has to do with the novel construction of panel units which may be mounted in a frame structure to form the walls and inner partitions of a building.

in the building industry today there is a great need for a wall construction which will satisfy all requirements as to structural strength and have a suitable exterior finish providing the final surface of the wall or which is adaptable for receiving decorating material. Further, this wall construction should be easily assembled by relatively unskilled labor so that the iinal cost of the building can be kept within reasonable limits. A wall unit which can be quickly and accurately assembled by relatively unskilled help without the use of tradesmen such as brick layers or carpenters is in great demand.

it is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel panel unit for mounting on a wall which is structurally strong and economical to manufacture.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel panel unit which may be quickly and accurately assembled over a frame structure to form a uniform rigid wall structure.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a panel unit having novel features of fabrication including a novel method of securing insulation in place in the panel unit and a novel method of spacing the inner and outer sides of the unit in rigid relation.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a novel means of sealing the joints between adjacent panel units in a wall structure.

According to the general features of this invention, a novel panel unit is provided which has opposed facing members each of which is formed of a pan-shaped metal stamping with peripheral edges inturned. Rivets are welded to each facing member adjacent its edges and projecting inwardly through a sheet of insulating board which is of a size to fit in the space dened by the inturned edges of the pan-shaped stamping. Metal stripping disposed around the periphery of the insulating block receives the free ends of the rivets for holding the insulation to the metal facing. A strip of rubber sealing material extends around the peripheral edge of the facing unit in locked engagement with the inturned rim of the outer stamping and the stripping.

Web members bridging the interior gap of each panel assembly are secured to the facing by the same rivets as are used to fasten the metal stripping. ln addition, the web members adjacent the vertical edges of the panel unit are located to bear against the associated studding or pipe to position horizontally the panel unit.

The wall formed by these panel units provides a continuous air space flanked on either side by an insulated block and thus is a very eiicient heat insulating member.

Other and further features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

On the drawings:

Figure l is a fragmentary perspective view of a wall structure constructedy with the panel units which are the subject of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical horizontal sectional view taken on line II-II of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmental vertical sectional View taken on line lil-HI of Figure l;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View taken on line IV-IV of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a novel connector member used in the present invention; and

Figure 6 is an exploded perspective View of a panel unit.

As shown on the drawings:

In Figure l, the reference numeral 10 indicates generally a wall constructed from a plurality of panel units il mounted on a frame structure l2.

Each panel unit 11 includes opposed facing members 13 which are identical in construction and are rigidly secured together in spaced opposed relation. Referring to Figure 6, it will be seen that each facing member i3 includes a pan-shaped metal stamping i5 having an inturned peripheral edge i6 and a plurality of spaced inwardly extending rivets i7 welded to the stamping. A sheet of rigid insulation i8 having apertures i9 corresponding in location to the position of the rivets 17 is disposed on the stamping l5. Marginal metal strips 22, 23, Z4 and 25 are provided with holes which are arranged to receive the free end of the rivets, as will be explained hereinafter.

These metal strips have inturned flanges which overlie the edge of the insulating block 13 in confronting relation to the inturned edge i6 of the member i5.

ln the preferred embodiment of this invention the strips 22 and 2d extend the full length of the longer side of the panel while the strips 23 and 25 extend the full length of the shorter side minus the width of the strips 22 and 2d.

Prior to the assembly of the facing members into a panel unit, the rivets extending through the end strips 23 and 25 may be peened thereover to secure the strips in place on the insulating block. However, the rivets extending through the strips 22 and 24 must also pass through a hole in one ange 29 of a web spacer or connectar link 3i) which is disposed, during assembly, between the insulating sheet i3 and the strips. When the flanges 29 of the web 30 are in place, the rivets are peened over the strips 22 and 24, rigidly uniting the facing members i3 in spaced opposed relation. -This construction is clearly shown in Figure 3.

A rubber sealing gasket 33 has channel-like marginal edges which receive the opposed inturned rim edges 16 of the stamping le" and the edges of the metal strips. The gaskets 33 extend around the entire periphery of each facing member and, as seen in Figure 3, when adjacent panel units are positioned to form a wall structure the sealing gaskets on each panel unit engage each other in sealing engagement at the joint between the panel units.

The frame structure 12 may suitably comprise a base plate 35 with spaced upwardly extending tubular guide members 35 which are welded thereon. Vertical structural pipe members 37 are positioned with their lower ends over the guide members 36 and with their upper ends engaged in similar guide members (not shown) on an upper guide plate (not shown) which is similar to the base plate 35. Thus, the vertical structural pipe members 37 are held in upright spaced relation to form a frame structure.

It will be particularly noted in Figure 3 that the web members 31) are spaced from the ends of the facing members 13 a distance equal to one-half the width of the upright structural pipe members 37 and thus adjacent the'panel Vunitso that its side edges form a'continuation of the wall face to the iioor line. EachV panel unit is VYslid downwardly between adjacent structural pipe niembersr37 when, of course, the upper Vguideplste is yet in position. it will be understood, of course, that the upright tubular positioning members 35 on the base plate will have a sufficient height to temporarily hold the structuralpipe members in upright position during the positioning of the panel unit; When'all of the panel ,unitsVV are inserted in place, the VVupper guide plate with the downwardly extending tubular guide positioning members may be put in position at the Vtop ofthe wall.

Y In Figure 1 there is also shown a method of installing an inner partition or a Vlaterally extending wall portion from the main wall structure. To accomplish this, the

' panel'units at the particular point where the wall is to be placed is provided with two spaced slots 39. A channelshaped connector 40, shown in detailV inFigure 5, has hooks 42 which may be engaged through the wall of the the engagement of the stamping member in a slot 43 of Ythe hook member. lt is to be noted that approximately one-half of the channel-shaped connector 4Gv extends above the panel Vunit while one-half extends below.V These connectors have a depth equal to one-half the width of an upright structural member 37 or equalV to the distance that the webs Sil are from the ends of the facing members. Thus, these connector units define a vertical structuralfmember which positions one end of the panel unit, permitting the formation of a laterally extending wall.

While the novel panel unit of this invention is disclosed as being made'of metal outer facing members, it will be understood that this unit could also be made of material such as plywood wherein suitable provision is made for anchoring the rivets,

if the panels of this invention are used to form an inside partition, the block 13 can, of course, be made of acoustic material instead of insulating material.

In a preferred method of assembly, the rivets 17 are welded to the stamping member before the exterior surface of the member is finished. Thus, the rivet heads can be nished iiush with the surface and a decorative material such as a metallic paint or baked enamel may be applied thereto.

It will be understod that modifications and variations may be eected without departing from the scope of the -novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

l. A panel unit comprising a pair of spaced insulated Vstamping of one facing unit and locked in position by facing members having confronting wall portions, strips of metal disposed at the marginal edge of said wall portions, resilient sealing means along the periphery of said wall portions, and a fastening device secured to said facing members and extending through said metal strips holding said members in rigid spaced relation.

2. A panel `unit comprising a pair of spaced facing members having confronting wall portions, insulating V blocks disposed on said wall portions, strips of metal disposed at the edge of theY confronting walls, resilient sealing means along the periphery ofV said Wall portions,Y

braces extending between said facing members, and

Vfastening devices secured to each facing member and 3. A panel unit comprising spaced facing VmembersY having confronting wall-portions, an insulating block disposed on each wall portion, metal straps extending along the edges of said insulating blocks, Ybraces 'extending between saidspaced blocks having end franges hooked under said metal straps, resilient sealing means around the periphery of said wall portions, and fastening devices secured to said facing members, each device having shank portions extending away from the Vfacing member and passing through said insulating block and through the flange of said brace and said metal strap rigidly holding saidV insulated facing members in spaced relation.

4.7A panel unit comprising spaced facing members having inturned peripheral flanges, an insulating block secured to each facing member and positioned inside said ange, a metal strip secured around the peripheral edge of said insulating block having a ange extending toward said facing member flange, and a rubber seal ring disposed around the periphery of the unit having continuous grooves receiving the anges of said facing member and of said metal strips.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

